Some St. Louis Officers Seeking More Firepower

ST. LOUIS (AP) - Some union members are pushing St. Louis police leadership to buy more powerful guns to replace the 9 mm semi-automatic weapons officers have been carrying for more than a decade.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports the police department has set aside $1.4 million to buy new pistols for the department's roughly 1,300 officers. Beretta has stopped making the 9 mm handguns, and the Police Officers' Association wants them to be replaced with .40-caliber pistols.

Chief of Police Sam Dotson says he doesn't know of any time when the 9 mm failed to stop a threat when officers hit their target. He also says the department still has an adequate supply of 9 mm rounds, but not .40-caliber bullets -- both of which are in short supply nationwide.